New "Great Emu Debate" Poll Question @ CE

[uzplayer]

This weeks question:

Console Emulation:
Godsend or Curse?

http://www.cenetworks.com/php/forums...ic.php?p=45#45

[digitalpress]

I say... BOTH!

Hey, it's a Godsend in more ways than a curse around here, anyway. It allows you to at least play lots of games that you wouldn't otherwise be able to afford or - now - be able to FIND! It's also been great for me as a journalist and website admin because it allows me to quickly grab high quality images from practically any game of yore. I've now got my "MAME machine" set up to run many different game systems using a HotRod joystick and it's whoppin' ear-smashing speaker system...

... which leads me to the Curse. The CURSE is that many people will never get to see these systems play in "real llfe". Emulation is just as it says and is not a faithful reproduction of the gaming experience on that console. While you can get the games to look close to what they should look like, sound close to what they should sound like, and play at exactly the right speed, there is no substitute for the original hardware, controllers, and joy of plugging a real game cartridge in and playing the classic consoles on a real TV, not a monitor simulated to display as such.

That's my two meseta.

[uzplayer]

Why dont you post that response on my forums

[digitalpress]

Why don't you post the poll on these forums?

I can't leave here, man. I'm a prisoner.

[uzplayer]

Well cuz it's a poll question on my web site.. You can leave here.. Cant tell me you're a prisoner here! lol

[kainemaxwell]

I saw godsend since it allows us and many newer games to play games they'd probably never be able to buy or findin arcades or sotres anymore, along with seeing hos famous game franchieses got their beginnings and seeing where today's gaming consoles started out as well.

[uzplayer]

... I take it you all do this to spite me sometimes <G>

[Captain Wrong]

I got into Emulation because I was wanting to play Tron and Journey, not the home games, but the 1984 Bally Midway games that were never ported. Due to licensing agreements which I'm sure have long since run out, I'd say the chances of these games ever making a "Midway's Greatest Hits" disc is 0%. So I downloaded Retrocade (this was in the dark days when MAME wasn't the powerhouse it is today), found the ROMS (before everyone was shutting 'em down) and there we go.

That's the upside for me, being able to play stuff I wouldn't be able to otherwise.

Downside, as mentioned, it's not the real thing.

[Kid Ice]

Godsend. It gives me a chance to play games from systems with bad controllers (ie Colecovision, 5200). Now I can play the CV version of Miner 2049er w/ arcade controls; yes.

the kid

[zektor]

I like the fact that I can play a rare, impossible game to find through emulation. There are certain games out there that are just impossible to get ahold of, but are dumped into rom format for people to enjoy. This is a good thing. The games were meant to be PLAYED, not hoarded. But that's just my opinion.

[kainemaxwell]

That and emulation can spark enough intrest in a console title for a person to go out and actually buy it as well in some cases!

[Nature Boy]

I think it's a Godsend. I love being able to play VCS games on my laptop (like yesterday, as I was waiting for my winter tires to get put on my car).

I also use them like a demo disc. I'm mostly interested in getting the good games and leaving the bad ones behind, and the emulators let me try before I buy. Except for MAME of course (although I do want to buy an Asteroids and/or Ms. Pac-Man machine at some point ).

[uzplayer]

... Mind if I use these responses on my web site on Sunday?

[Nature Boy]

I don't mind. Then again, mine is probably not one of the responses you were looking to use